Effective Presentation Techniques

1. Effective Presentation Techniques Michael J. Quinn 7 October 2005 Version 1.2

2. Structuring presentation Designing slides Pausing techniques Answering questions Outline

3. Structuring presentation Designing slides Pausing techniques Answering questions

4. Structuring Presentation • Planning • Delivery • Sign posts

5. Planning • Talk: A  B • Consider audience • Set goal • Create slides

6. Delivery • Prepare audience • Move audience • Reflect on journey • “Tell ’em”  3 • Rehearse!

7. Sign Posts • Orient listener • Current topic • Progress • Two styles • Intermittent • Ever-present

8. Structuring presentation Designing slides Pausing techniques Answering questions

9. Designing Good Slides • Content • Unveiling • Color • Subliminal messages

10. Content • Purpose • Complement speaker • Talk ≠ technical report • Density • 7 lines/page • 4 words/line

11. Speaker Reads Slides • A speaker may put his entire presentation on his slides. He turns his back to the audience and reads the slides aloud. Perhaps he feels this approach guarantees all the information will get to the audience. • This may be the most annoying way to give a presentation. Audience members feel insulted: they already know how to read! They wonder why the lecturer doesn’t simply hand out a copy of the slides. • The visual presentation dominates the presenter. The presenter is not adding any value to what is on the slides.

12. Speaker Interprets Slides • Slides dominate • Provide all content • Hold audience’s attention • Speaker supports • Faces slides • Helps audience understand

13. Complicated Derivation

14. Scales poorly Scales well Good Illustration >Complicated Derivation Memory Size Memory needed per processor Number of processors

15. Slides Enhance Speaker • Speaker dominates • Faces audience • Provides content • Slides support speaker • Reinforce message • Orient listeners

16. Mixing Important/ Unimportant Words • The isoefficiency and the scalability metrics of a parallel algorithm are crucial • The typical parallel computers of the future will have thousands of CPUs and terabytes of RAM

17. Important Words Only • Crucial metrics • Isoefficiency • Scalability function • Future systems • Thousands of CPUs • Terabytes of RAM

18. Unbalanced Lists • Speedup • Sequential time • Parallel time • Parallel computations • Parallel overhead • Efficiency

19. Balanced Lists • Speedup • Expresses time reduction • Sequential time, parallel time, overhead • Efficiency • Expresses processor utilization • Speedup, number of processors

20. “Fly In” Fails • Could you read this? • How about this one? • Maybe the third time is the charm!

21. “Wipe from Left” Works • Less distracting • Reduces eye movement • Increases readability

22. Typical Eye Movement • Upper left • Upper right • Lower left • Lower right Z

23. Image reproduced from www.animationalley.com

24. Wall of White • Increases glare • Causes eyestrain • Distracts from speaker

25. Subliminal Messages • Orientation • Motion

26. Message: Decline

27. Message: Improvement

28. Message: Bad Event

29. Message: Good Event

30. Structuring presentation Designing slides Pausing techniques Answering questions

31. Pauses • Useful • Powerful • Difficult

32. Silence Useful • Awaiting thought • Switching gaze • Reading slide • Reinforcing point

33. Structuring presentation Designing slides Pausing techniques Answering questions

34. Pitfalls • Hostile gestures • Wandering gaze • Body language • Missing point • Seeking approval • Excluding audience

35. Opportunities • Welcoming gestures • Focusing gaze • Body language • Getting point • Reinforcing message • Including audience

36. Dangerous Responses • “Good question” • “I’m glad you asked that question”

37. Guide audience gently Design slides carefully Use pauses effectively Answer questions inclusively Summary